Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-06-09
STORM ECHOES.
SERIOUS DAMAGE BY THE RECENT HEAVY
RAINS.
A Bad Blockade Of the Ohio River Railroad
Bridges Washed Away-L0ss
By Lightning.

The almost continuous storms of the
mast week have done great amount OF
damage to railroad property, and the
farming and lumber interests, in the terri
tory south and east of this city. The
most serious damage seems to have been
along the line of the Ohio River road. No
trains passed over this road from IL a.
m. Tuesday, until about noon yesterday,
owing TO heavy washOuts and land-slides,
located few miles below MOundsville.
The trains due in Wheeling at 3. p. nj.
and sis D. III. Tuesday laid all night at
Powhatan, and some Of the passengers
were thirty hours on the road from Charles
ton to this city. No accommodations
could he had Tuesday night, and the eX
perience of same of the travellers was the
reverse Of pleasant. 4 few of the people
came up to the city by boat, arriving yes
terday morning. The landslide below
Moundsville is described as being very
bad, the entire road bed being moved from
its original position. In another place
large amount of debris was washed down
from the steep hillside upon the track,
covering it for fifty yards.
There was Tumor of a washOut on the
b. x q. east of MOundsville, at ROseby's
Rock. Here Grave Creek got on IA high,
and did a good deal of damage to farmers
as well rs the railroad company. At one
point, when sheep-washing w?S in progress,
the farmers abandoned a pen full of sheep
and retreated before the flood, but later
they returned and were soon up To their
shoulders in water, attempting to save the
animals from drowning. What success
attended their effort is unknown. Stock
is said TO have been drowr ed ut several
points, while 4 large amount OF fencing
and valuable lumber was carried of.
In Marshall county a number Of bridges
were washed away, the total loss from
this cause being considerable. Doubtless
the same state of affairs exists i'll all the
river counties.
In the Washington oil field good deal
of loss was OCCasiOned by lightning. About
midnight Monday night the derrick
of the Forest Oil Co 5 Barre No. q was
struck by bolt of lightning which COM
municated by means of the net work Of
pipes which run over the field to the tanks
at Barre ) and WilletS 3.
The derrick mt Barre q was Immediately
ablaze and together with go barrel re-
ceiving tank was soon destroyed. There
was no oil in the tank. 1t has not yet
been aScertained whether the tubing i'll the
well has parted. If it has not the loss
will not exceed $500 OF $500. No insu-
rance.
The lightning also communicated to a
tank at Barre ), setting fire to the top OF
it, but the blaze was extinguiShed with a
few buckets OF water by j. L. Morrow,
the gentleman in charge OF the well.
The same shock which struck Barre ,
and ignted the tank house at Willets .
destroying it and 30 barrel tank, in
which there was from 100 TO 300 barrels OF
oil. The derrick also caught fire, but was
saved by the employees on the lease, who
gathered in full force a few minutes after
the tank house was struck. The damage
to the derrick was slight The total loss
will he about 800, which is covered by in
surance in companies represented by
Hughes " Wright, of this place.
During the night the gas line of the
Manufacturers Natural Gas Co, which
runs along the WilliamspOrt pike near the
residence OF l.. J. Dye, was struck by
lightning, which run along the line ignit-
ing the gas escaping from the leaks, i'll
dozen places. They were eXtingulshcd by
Judge" Stewart, with some assistance
from other parties.
Reports from I'arkersburg last night said
a great deal of damage had been done
along the line of the Kanawha and Ohio
railroad. Five bridges and trestles are
known to have been washed away, and in
many places the track is badly damaged.
At MuTraysville, on the extension Of the
Ohio River road, seven cars flew the track,
and three of them were wrecked, involving
a loss OF about 81 900 One ofthe wrecked
cars was loaded with sheep and another
with hogs, number OF the latter being
killed
At this point the river is rising rap
idly, but no damage is reported in the i'm
mediate vicinity OF the city.
\ telegram from Parkersburg, last
night, said: The heaviest ram ever known
fell tonight, flooding cellars, streets and
stores. Much damage is reported from the
neighbOring country. The streets were
like mill races from side To side. Two
dams, one at Marietta and the other above,
have given way, Suspendlng navigation on